Instagram’s Porn Problem (Instaporn) – Still Kid Safe?

11 Jun Instagram’s Porn Problem (Instaporn) – Still Kid Safe?

Whoa! Instagram has 1 billion monthly users.

For any of you who know me, numbers help me make sense of important things. It’s the way I’m wired. Left-brained all the way! With that in mind, I would like to share a few numbers that might help us understand the impact of Instagram on culture (and kids):

1 billion = total number of monthly, active users.

40 billion = total photos uploaded to date (that’s 170/second since inception in October 2010).

20% = the number of all Internet users who also use Instagram (let that sink in).

*Because Instagram is social media, according to COPPA, all users must be at least 13, but keep reading to see if you agree that 13 is the right age for using the app.

What is “Instaporn?” Is that a real thing?

With over 700 million daily users, it’s impossible for Instagram to police all of its content for compliance with its Community Guidelines, which state:

“We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.”

Instagram does not enforce these guidelines. We proved it through our testing of reporting images over the summer, which had no impact on the amount of porn found under certain hashtags.

There is a complete playbook for finding pornography on Instagram because both the users and the producers know that as soon as one photo is flagged as “inappropriate,” 10 more are quickly added to the site. The word “Instaporn” is well-known among those who desire to see inappropriate things. In fact, pornographers even seem to be getting in front of potential artificial intelligence being created to detect skin tones by shading pornography to avoid detection (here’s an example).

How easy is it to find porn on Instagram?

Some porn is available in around six clicks, which is too easy.

Instaporn emoji tags – inappropriate content can be found using an array of suggestive emojis, including the🍆? (guy part),🍑? (girl part), 💦? (wet),🔞? (must be 18 to view),🔥? (hot), 😈 😇 (naughty/nice), and all of their variants.

Keyword search – over the years, I’ve noticed that Instagram has become more lax by allowing use of obviously inappropriate keywords like “sex.” From time-to-time, Instagram will temporarily block a keyword like “boobs,” but endless variants quickly surface (e.g., boobz, booooobs, etc.) that fool the block. Some of the worst content on Instagram is found under hashtags in foreign languages (pörno, pörn, séxy, etc.). This is where Instagram’s autocomplete is a porn-seeker’s best friend. Even non-obvious words that can have a double inappropriate connotation easily and quickly bring up what would at least be classified as soft porn. And, it can be done in six, quick clicks (<5 seconds):

Search for porn with a hidden Google search – again, through an account’s “Options,” a persistent user can find a hidden Google search bar in multiple places, including the Privacy Policy and Help Center. This particular issue is present in a majority of apps, where access to Google is very easy to find (we tell parents to assume there’s access to Google somewhere in almost every app kids use today).

Is Instagram safe for kids?

The objective of this blog post isn’t to compel every parent to grab their child’s device and smash it with a hammer. That won’t teach the child how to use technology well. But, it is intended to show parents click-by-click how kids are using these apps and how these apps are potential fuel for temptation in a very critical area – sex and sexuality.

My short answer to the question, “is Instagram safe for kids?” is “no, I do not believe Instagram is safe for most kids under age 16.”

Most just aren’t ready for the situations and temptations this particular social media platform presents to kids. Not to mention the self-image damage that can result in the hearts of young girls resulting from their constant comparisons to Instagram’s steady stream of perfect pictures.

This isn’t a popular stance and I’m equally hard on Snapchat, but I care about kids more than I care about my popularity with kids, which is why I’m saying these things.

Parents, I can only share information. I can’t make decisions for you. So, now the choice is yours. Keep Instagram or not? That’s up to you. I believe parents who are observant, engaged, and informed often have kids who learn to use technology well. And, by reading this post, you have taken a huge step. But, don’t stop now. Please do something.

Instagram FAQ:

Q: What if my child has had Instagram for years? Do I just take it away now that I’m more informed?

Instagram has enabled plenty of controls to try and cut down on bullying and screen time. But, they don’t seem to care about porn, which is puzzling to parents.

Q: Based on what I’ve read, I don’t want my kid to have Instagram at all, even if they’re over 15. Is that ok?

A: Of course it is. I’m in full support of parents who decide their kids just don’t need the app at all. But, here’s what I say to those parents. Go ahead and tell them that they can’t have Instagram, but teach them about it as if they did have it. Look them in the eye, and say, “I’ve decided that based on the risks, we aren’t going to use Instagram in our home. That’s right, no account. Now, I know you could go behind my back and create an account of your own, but that’s not allowed. And, if you do (and I’ll ask you if you have often), the consequences will be [insert].”

Q: Chris, I’m freaking out. Paralyzed, actually. My kid has Instagram. What do I need to do right now?

A: Take a deep breath. Good. Now, I have some homework for you. But, you have to commit to finishing everything in this list within 48 hours. Ready?

Have a good conversation with your child – sit down when they seem receptive, and be very, very honest. Possible words include, “Honey, I have to admit that I may have allowed you to use Instagram without knowing much about it. But, I’ve done some homework, and now I know more. Did you know that today, 700 million different people will use Instagram? I need to do a better job protecting you from things that those 700 million people might do…..” and then take it from there. Talk specifically about porn and your stance on the issue. Talk specifically about hiding activity in fake accounts, and your stance on the issue. Say specifically, “I could download spy software that monitors your every click, but I don’t want to do that, so don’t give me a reason. Instead, we’re going to use something like [Bark, etc.] to help keep you safe.”

Read this blog post about overall social media considerations. It’s possible you decide that they shouldn’t have social media at all. That’s ok.

If you’re a Christian, pray specifically for the heart and mind of your child. Use Psalm 119:37, if you need a place to begin. Replace “my” with the name of your child. Remember, the enemy is a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour.

You can do this! I’m rooting for you.

Now what? Have you heard of Bark?

Are you interested in having greater insight into the social media platforms that your kids are using? Bark is one of the best platforms we’ve tested. They’re constantly looking for ways to dig further into apps like Instagram, to keep parents of the information that matters. We trust them and we think you should, too!

*There are affiliate links throughout this post because we’ve tested and trust a small list of parental control solutions. Our work saves you time! If you decide that you agree with us, then we may earn a small commission, which does nothing to your price. Enjoy!

Living life to the full! That's why He died and how I try to live. I have an eclectic list of professional experience...CPA, business advisor, youth pastor, development director, now educational resource manager for Covenant Eyes. God shares wild ideas with me about life while I run. I want to show parents how to protect their kids from online dangers, which led to the creation of Protect Young Eyes. We recently created Virtue in Media, the first digital citizenship curriculum based on Scripture (www.virtueinmedia.com).

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10 Comments

I’m curious as to why don’t you mention using Covenant Eyes to monitor what’s seen in Instagram? I was told that if you do not put it on the device through the App Store and instead install it through the CE browser, that it would be monitored.

Hi, Kelly – for iOS, Covenant Eyes’ new app provides domain visibility across the entire device, but nothing can give us real-time activity inside of most apps. Meaning, Covenant Eyes can see that a “call” from the phone was made to “instagram.com” (domain) and this will be reported, but what I search for in Instagram or post is not seen by Covenant Eyes. Bark gives a retrospective look into some Snapchat and Instagram activity by regularly grabbing the iTunes backup.

If you are accessing “instagram.com” through the CE browser, then everything is tracked. I hope that answers your question!

Instagram has no control about to handle this kind of things and they don’t care as soon as they got enough money with their algorithms and ads.

Aingeal Rosa

Posted at 12:15h, 04 April

Thnkyoy for this article. I tried to report a video of three girls stripping their pants down in front of camera to show their bums, wearing thongs whatever but still! Its was inappropriate. So much more on here. People abuse their bodies by posting this stuff and its just terrible that instagram lets that but much worse on. Exploiting all over instagram. I hardly go to any other page now or go to search option. It’s a very leftist immoral site. People can do what they want with their sex & body, but hash tagging Truth and good things can be reported.

Teacher

Posted at 23:55h, 08 April

I’ve complained and reported hundreds of fully nude photos on Instagram and each time, I stagram replies saying the photo did NOT VIOLATE their strict policy guidelines. I now know hundreds who have stopped using Instagram(porn) because of this perverse lie.

thanks chris in our country iran that many sites are filtered this is a good caution but what about a society like america that kids would have access to thousands other similar platforms?

Jazmin

Posted at 01:42h, 24 October

It is insane the millions of users who post mostly nude images. I don’t care how artistic it is, it is offensive to the eyes of the many who do not want to see naked females. How can we put a stop to this?

I have reported hundreds of straight up bare-butt nude pictures of women that classify by any metric as porn. More than 98% of the reports I have made are immediately denied, despite Instagram’s stated policy to the contrary. In other words, porn is what rules IG and the people who control the content that stay on the site want it that way. They just pretend there is a policy against it for the “official” record. They are not even trying to hide the fact by sometimes deleting the porn. No, almost always it stays, report or not. Porn is what brings money to IG, so it will not be going anywhere any time soon. #facts #igishomeforporn